Tag Archives: Chronic Disease

Health surveys show that the incidence of chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes is higher than ever before. This can be attributed largely to the state of our diets that are woefully inadequate in nutrient-rich whole foods.

The reality is that most of us have turned the healthy food pyramid upside down—too much of the wrong stuff, not enough of the right stuff!

• 90% of us don’t eat the recommended 5-13 servings of fruits and vegetables

• 70% of us admit to eating foods that actually contribute to poor health

• Less than 1 serving of whole grains are consumed on a daily basis—many don’t even get that

• Protective lipids and sterols have been stripped from whole grains to increase their shelf life

• Many don’t eat fish due to concerns about the presence of heavy metals and contaminants

TURN YOUR WELLNESS PYRAMID RIGHT SIDE UP!

• Leading global health authorities like the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control, and American Heart Association agree that good nutrition plays a critical role in lowering the risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes.

• Everyone should increase consumption of whole-grain foods, fruits and vegetables, and foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids— and maintain a healthy weight.

• But even those with good intentions to eat a healthy diet face challenges. Busy lifestyles, eating on-the-run, and the prevalence of processed foods all contribute towards nutritional gaps that would benefit from nutritional supplements.

In their 2005 landmark report entitled “Chronic Disease: Avital Investment”, the World Health Organization (WHO) spotlights the dire state of global health, and sounds the alarm—we are quickly losing this battle. Here is what they told us:1

Cancer: 20 million people suffered with cancer in 2005. WHO projects a 50% increase in new cases of cancer in just 15 years. They found that dietary factors accounted for about 30% of cancers cases. To reduce the risk of cancer, WHO along with The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the US National Cancer Institute (NCI) recommend: Eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

And of course, if you smoke, quit.3 The NCI in particular draws specific attention to the phyto-nutrient family of carotenoids, highlighting their role in cancer prevention.4

Diabetes: Diabetes is quickly becoming a global epidemic… 171,000,000 people suffered from it in 2005. And it is projected to grow to 366,000,000 by 2030… a 114% increase! In fact, many medical researchers now believe that for every person diagnosed with diabetes, there will be two more individuals in a state of ‘pre-diabetes’, resulting in more than 1,000,000,000 diabetic sufferers around the world.

The nutritional strategy for prevention according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA)5 and the US National Institutes of Health (NIH)6: reduce the consumption of fast, convenience and processed foods; eat more fruits, vegetables whole grains and omega-3 rich fish and be more physically active.

DIETARY SOLUTIONS: three GNLD products that can help solve this health crisis: